The Dragon Beckons

For over 40 years ABC Sports lured TV viewers to its hit TV show Wide World of Sports with its tag line, “The Thrill of Victory, The Agony of Defeat”. Just like Wide World, The Dragon at Gold Mountain, located one hour north of Lake Tahoe , California offers an opportunity to thrill in victory and/or agonize over defeat. With its target golf concept, narrow sloping fairways, blind shots, and fast, well-bunkered greens, The Dragon is a spectacular mountain course which challenges both scratch golfers and high handicappers.

As a qualifying site for the LPGA Western Sectional, the Northern Nevada Golf Association Senior Championship, and numerous local and regional tournaments, The Dragon has gained the reputation as a difficult test of golf. And deservedly so.
Playing from 4611 to 7077 yards from six sets of tees, with slopes ranging from 123-147 for men and 128-149 for women, The Dragon is not a course for the faint of heart. Golf Insider Magazine calls The Dragon a “true shot maker’s course that requires thought at every turn”.
The scenery, which includes rolling hills, deep ravines, gushing creeks, and on occasion snow capped hills, can make you forget about the importance of hitting a straight drive, a delicate second or third shot to a fast contoured green, or stroking a well paced putt.
The Frank Lloyd Wright 24,000 square foot clubhouse, which gives the appearance of an immense teepee, was originally designed in 1924 for a golf and country club in Madison , Wisconsin , but was never built. It became the centerpiece of the Resort & Spa at Gold Mountain in 2001 when Gold Mountain owners Peggy and Dariel Garner collaborated with Taliesin Architects, Inc., the extension of Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture practice, and brought it to life at Gold Mountain . It was then, and only then, that the building, which has been featured in Architectural Digest magazine and on The Golf Channel, became a reality.
According to Head PGA Professional Matt Magnotta, “The Dragon beckons to golfers from all over the world with its slogan, “Send Me Your Heroes”. If you are looking for a challenging golf course at a resort located in a quiet, relaxed and scenic setting, plan a visit to The Dragon at Gold Mountain . If you conquer it, you will remember the thrill of victory and will be a hero. If it conquers you, you’ll remember the agony of defeat. Either way, once you play it, you’ll always remember The Dragon.
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